As the first half concluded, Kylian Mbappé hurried to the tunnel, trailed by Ousmane Dembélé. The rest of the French squad, however, ambled off the pitch, reflecting the disarray evident on the field. The forward, often hailed as the best globally, had much to discuss with his teammates after a chaotic opening half.
In their World Cup opener against Senegal on Tuesday, the 2018 champions and 2022 runners-up struggled significantly. The first half ended without a score, as Senegal, well-organized and pressing effectively, created better chances, including hitting the post. Nevertheless, France’s superior attacking talent allowed them to secure a 3-1 victory despite looking disjointed for much of the match.
France boasts elite forwards, including Mbappé, Dembélé, and Michael Olise. However, the first half saw little synergy among the French attackers. Olise frequently drifted from his right flank, even venturing toward the left touchline to get involved, yet he struggled to make an impact. On the left, Désiré Doué was nearly invisible, while Dembélé and Mbappé experienced a series of comical misunderstandings.
In the fourth minute, a promising opportunity arose for Mbappé after a pass from Adrien Rabiot, who has often faced criticism as Deschamps’ favored playmaker. Unfortunately, Mbappé mishandled the ball with an awkward touch, and despite multiple exchanges with Dembélé, their collaboration failed to threaten Senegal’s defense, which enjoyed a relatively easy time.
Late in the first half, Olise took on El Hadji Malick Diouf and ventured into open space, but he and Mbappé couldn’t establish a clear understanding of their movements. Frustration mounted as Mbappé and Dembélé, the focal points of the attack, gestured at each other in exasperation, highlighting the challenges of playing under a coach known for his defensive tactics. They appeared to be a talented team in search of clarity and cohesion.
Meanwhile, Senegal capitalized on French mistakes, generating several scoring opportunities, including a shot by Nicolas Jackson that struck the post following an Mbappé turnover. After another misplay by Mbappé, a French journalist could no longer hold back his frustration, exclaiming, “From time to time, you do have a rough start,”
“It’s quite hard to meet the high expectation at a World Cup.” Deschamps acknowledged. “He told me that he didn’t want to strike in a friendly match but wanted to score in a real match,”
Whatever adjustments were made during halftime proved effective. Switching Olise to a central position and Dembélé to the right injected fresh energy into the French side. They raised their intensity and began to find their rhythm around the hour mark.
Both Olise and Mbappé were denied by Senegal goalkeeper Édouard Mendy, while Sadio Mané narrowly avoided a penalty for a foul on Mbappé, as VAR failed to persuade referee Alireza Faghani to overturn his decision.
In the 64th minute, Olise maneuvered into central space and delivered an exquisite through ball to Mbappé, who narrowly missed connecting. However, the duo soon found their chemistry, with Olise delivering a perfectly timed diagonal pass to Mbappé, who calmly slotted the ball past Mendy, tying Olivier Giroud’s record for most goals scored by a French player at 57.
Following a disallowed goal by Jackson for offside, Rabiot raced into the midfield and set up substitute Bradley Barcola, who finished with a delicate chip in the 82nd minute.
Senegal managed to get on the scoreboard with a goal from Ibrahim Mbaye, but Olise and Mbappé had one last highlight for the 82,000 spectators in New Jersey. In the final moments, Olise battled through defenders to pass the ball to Mbappé, who unleashed a stunning shot from 30 yards out, swerving past Mendy for his 58th international goal, sealing the match at 3-1.
“Kylian was efficient, ruthlessly efficient,” Deschamps quipped regarding Mbappé’s goal-scoring ambitions. “People will still criticize him. He’s an iconic player, I’ve always said that. He can sometimes miss a game but on one action he can really tip the scales.”
While this match won’t be remembered fondly by the French players, Senegal performed admirably at times. Yet, the presence of Mbappé, Olise, and Dembélé provides France with a significant safety net for future encounters.
“Kylian was efficient, ruthlessly efficient,” Deschamps commented. “People will still criticize him. He’s an iconic player, I’ve always said that. He can sometimes miss a game but on one action he can really tip the scales.”
With smiles all around, Mbappé led the team to acknowledge the support of the French fans. The first-half struggles and miscommunications faded into memory as the team celebrated their victory.
France will be just fine, thanks to their collective talent.
